Vikash Yadav, Identified as ‘CC-1,’ Faces U.S. Charges in Murder-for-Hire Case Against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

Vikash Yadav, an Indian citizen, has been charged with plotting to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the pro-Khalistan leader of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), in New York last year. Pannun, who is considered a terrorist by India, holds U.S. citizenship. In the initial indictment from 2023 related to this murder-for-hire scheme, Yadav was labeled as “CC-1.”

Another Indian, Nikhil Gupta, was also charged last year and is currently in custody in Brooklyn after being arrested in the Czech Republic. Yadav is said to have recruited Gupta to find someone to carry out the hit on Pannun.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced Yadav’s charges on Thursday, shortly after an Indian investigative team visited Washington, D.C. State Department spokesperson Matt Miller mentioned that the team confirmed Yadav was “no longer” working for the Indian government.

Yadav was included in a new indictment unsealed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which featured an 18-page document and a photo of him in military uniform.

According to the DoJ, Yadav previously worked for the Indian government’s Cabinet Secretariat, which includes the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s foreign intelligence service.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated, “The Justice Department will work hard to hold anyone accountable who tries to harm American citizens.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasized that the FBI will not accept any acts of violence against individuals in the U.S. exercising their rights.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen noted that these charges reflect a troubling rise in violent plots targeting diaspora communities in the U.S. He warned that any government plotting such acts would be disrupted, and those responsible would be held accountable.

This announcement comes during a period of heightened tensions between India and Canada, following claims that Indian agents were involved in violent incidents, including homicides. The situation escalated after the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June 2023, which Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linked to Indian government agents—a claim that India has strongly rejected.